The invention relates to removing multi-pin components installed in sockets on circuit boards.
For a variety of reasons, manufacturers of electronic circuit boards often use sockets as a means for connecting integrated circuits (ICs) to a circuit board. While the forces associated with the engagement of a single IC pin with its companion socket are insignificant, the aggregate forces due to a large number of pins, e.g., in a pin grid array (PGA) can make extraction of the IC so difficult that special extraction tools are necessary. Known IC extraction tools operate to grip the edges of the body of the IC and pull the IC away from the sockets.